Servings : Serves 3-4
If there was a chicken dish that was fit for Royalty, I truly believe Butter Chicken would be it! Perfect grilled boneless chicken served in a creamy, buttery, silky smooth sauce….this dish is not for those that would shy away from extra calories!! It's the kind of dish that would have you literally licking your plate and scooping up second helpings!
The dish is famous the world over, and is probably one of the most loved of Indian meals. It goes oh-so-well with steamed rice and naans, and each bite of the tender and juicy chicken morsels covered in creamy sauce is a delightful experience.
Because of all the extra calories in this dish, it should be one of those meals that you save for super-special occasions, that way you can look forward to and enjoy the meal the way it is supposed to be enjoyed!
Ingredients for Chicken Marinade
- 500gm boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes - marinate the chicken for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight in the ingredients below.
- 1/4 cup plain yoghurt
- 1 tsp. garlic paste
- 1 tsp. ginger paste
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. red chilli powder
- pinch of turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp. cumin powder
- 1 tbsp. tandoori masala
- 1 tsp. tomato paste/puree
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp. oil
Additional Ingredients
- 1 large onion, grated
- 1 tsp. fenugreek leaves/kasuri methi
- 2-3 green chillies
- 4-5 fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 1-2 tsp. tomato paste/puree
- 1 tsp. cumin seeds
- 2 cardamom pods
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 1/4 cup fresh cream (you can use up to 3/4 of a cup if you want it creamier)
- 4 tbsp. butter + 4 tbsp. oil
- 1/2 tsp. ginger paste
- 1/2 tsp. garlic paste
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1/4 tsp. garam masala
- salt to taste
Instructions
Put the chicken on skewers (discard the marinade) and either grill on a bbq grill or in the oven directly under the grill for about 8 minutes on each side (at 200 C) or until the chicken pieces are slightly charred. (Remember that the chicken will be cooked further in the sauce, so don't over-cook them at this stage). Remove the cubes from the skewers and put them in a bowl, cover to keep them moist and set aside.
Heat the butter and oil in a pot, add the cumin seeds, cardamom and cinnamon. When the cumin starts to splutter, add the fenugreek leaves followed by the onions and fry until they are translucent and starting to brown. Then add the ginger and garlic paste and the green chilies, fry them for a minute then add the cubed tomatoes and the tomato paste.
Cook on high heat for a few minutes, then lower to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes are mushy and well-cooked and some oil begins to get released from the sides. Turn off the heat, and remove the cinnamon stick and the cardamom pods from the mixture. Let it cool slightly, then put the mixture in a blender and blend until smooth. Return the mixture into your pot, season with a bit of salt and the sugar. Add the grilled chicken cubes. Simmer together for about 5 minutes until the gravy coats the chicken cubes well, you can add a bit of warm water at this stage if you want extra gravy. The gravy will thicken when you add cream. Sprinkle the garam masala.
Lastly add the cream, stir well and simmer on low heat for 3 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Switch off and serve over rice or with naan. You can add a blob of butter or drizzle some cream for a lovely appearance if you want when you serve the dish.
Enjoy! 🙂
Hi. I would like to know if I
Hi. I would like to know if I can use garlic cloves instead of garlic paste. One more question please. Butter chicken recipe calls for red chili powder. I have cayenne powder, regular chili powder and hot chili powder. I am Confused as to which powder to use . Thanks in advance
Hi, you can actually use
Hi, you can actually use whichever of the three that you like. I just use regular chilli powder. As for garlic paste, it is basically garlic cloves that are blended into a paste or grated into a paste.
Hi, I made this dish today
Hi, I made this dish today and it was really tasty. I was wondering though if it’s supposed to be sweet. My husband told me to omit the sugar next time but I think it’s a crucial ingredient for this dish. Would u be able to tell me the approximate measurement of salt? Thanks for ur great recipes
Hi, thanks for the lovely
Hi, thanks for the lovely feedback. You can omit the sugar, it helps cut the acidity from the tomatoes, but if you do not mind that slight acidic taste that is normal with tomatoes then it should be just fine. As for salt, since there is half a tsp in the marinade, I would say maybe at most another one tsp in the gravy. But add it a bit at a time and taste.
Hi, can u tell me if u use
Hi, can u tell me if u use black cardamom or the green cardamom in recipe? Thanks
Hi, green.
Hi, green.
Salaam fauzia,
Salaam fauzia,
Just wanted to say a BIG jzk for this recipe
And all the others that i have been following, being recently married your website has been a lifesaver in the kitchen for me and helped me impress the in laws!
Keep up the good work sister!
Hi,
Hi,
I made this for the first time and the whole family loved the recipe MasaaAllah. I wud like to make 1kg chicken next time as this amount was not enough! How many onions, tomatoes shud I use. Thank you for sharing your lovely recipes with us.
Hi, thanks for the lovely
Hi, thanks for the lovely feedback. Simply double the entire recipe. 🙂
Asalamualikum ..
Asalamualikum ..
My chicken gets hard where I’m getting wrong
W/Salaam, chicken hardens
W/Salaam, chicken hardens when overcooked or cooked over very high simmering heat for too long.
I made this yesterday. It was
I made this yesterday. It was fantastic. Thankyou so much Fauzia xx
Hi, when you say add salt to
Hi, when you say add salt to taste. How much would that be exactly. I dont know how to tell by tasting if there’s too less or too much salt. Please could you tell me how much you put. Thanks so much
Hi, it is normally difficult
Hi, it is normally difficult to gauge with gravies as all depends on how much liquid is added later on. I would start with half a teaspoon, then give it a taste and add as needed.
Hello,
Hello,
Thanks for the delicious recipe. Is it possible to make the sauce, blend and refrigerate or freeze, then bring to room temperature before use?
Yes that is fine.
Yes that is fine.
Assalaamualaikum…tday i
Assalaamualaikum…tday i made dis recipe using boneless shredded chicken..which was not grilled…i followed ur same procedure of frying den blending of onions n tomatoes …ill give dhungar to it (liting d coal) for dat grilled like smell…will d results be the same???
Assalamu Alaikum sis, if i
Assalamu Alaikum sis, if i can cook the marinated chicken on a pan, could you please suggest how many minutes should i cook the chicken on each side ?
W/Salaam, 3-4 minutes per
W/Salaam, 3-4 minutes per side over high heat. 🙂
Jazakallahu khair sis
Jazakallahu khair sis
Salam
Do i use single or double cream where it says fresh cream?
Thank you
Single cream or cooking cream. You can use double cream too but it does tend to be quite a bit richer.
Salaam, I would like to make the recipe but I have a question. When you say 8 minutes per side, is it 2 sides or 4 sides ?